It’s a continual process of development as we evolve the various components required to construct a stage performance of this type, and over the last couple of weeks a flurry of meetings have taken place.

Prof Matt and I met to chat research and cross-platform audiences, which gave Director Benji and Matt a chance to meet for the first time. It was really interesting to see their two minds (creative genius and academic excellence) meet and literally buzz, and very flattering to know the commonality that’s brought these two incredible people together is my storytelling.

This meeting also saw the introduction of a new member to the HOAX team –Manchester photographer Jamie Alun Price. More about this very gracious and cultured man a little further down the line….

Next it was me, Benji and Composer Ben, meeting around Ben’s piano to explore the demo songs he’s been working on for the musical. We looked hard at the mood, weight and context of the songs… trying this, changing that… and I was struck once again, as I always am when I hear Ben sing, at just how beautiful his musical language is.

Benji was clearly feeling the music too. He had his finger on every pulse and beat, and you could almost see the vision, after vision, after vision, after vision in his eyes of how the songs might work physically on stage. It was a wonderful meeting, truly elating.

Hot on the heels was a full core-team meeting (myself, Ben, Benji and Producer Pippa) to shortlist from the applicants that had responded to our recent call out for R&D performers. It wasn’t easy – there are some seriously talented people out there and everyone whose details we looked at seemed to be one of them. We narrowed it down over a dish of Gorilla bar’s deluxe chips, and discussed what we’d be asking of our performers at the actual auditions.

The auditions will be our next big meeting, and I’m so excited about this I can barely wait. Fortunately they’re only a few days away….

Climbing a notch higher on the HOAX excitement stick as the call goes out for performers - the artists that we will work with for a full week’s research and development of HOAX My Lonely Heart.

“HOAX is a transmedia project in the early stages of development. HOAX PART 1 will be a musical theatre performance. Written by Ravi Thornton, directed by Benji Reid, working with composer Ben McGarvey.

It tells the tale of two people, their meeting, their belief that the immediate need they satisfy in each other is love, the truer co-dependent nature of their relationship, mental illness, and their ultimate breakdown.

We are initially seeking 3 performers to explore the script with us for a week of R+D at the Royal Exchange Manchester, 4th – 8th March, culminating in a sharing on Friday 8th March.

We are looking for 2 versatile performers that can work in a highly physical context, and are confident singers and actors to play:

ROB: 28 years old, British-Asian from and living in Manchester. Works in the kitchen at the small, simple, open-all-night Insomnia Café. Highly intelligent, creative, drug-user, mentally ill (undiagnosed schizophrenia). Holds a Masters in Philosophy. Poet.

AND 1 PHYSICAL THEATRE PERFORMER: A presence throughout the piece, but not a part of the structured narrative, the role is unlikely to have any lines, or sing, and is more of a silent narrator.

Rates of pay are in line with ITC recommendations. This project is currently funding pending, confirmation is expected late February.

Initial activity is scheduled for a week of R+D at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, March 4th – 8th 2013.

Longer term plans include further development in autumn 2013, with a view to opening in spring 2014, plus plans for national touring.

Auditions will be held at Z Arts in Manchester on 18th February 2013.

To apply for any of the roles please email your headshot, CV / Biog to the Producer, Pippa Frith pippafrith@gmail.com along with an indication as to which role you are interested in and confirmation you have availability for the audition date (18th February) and initial R+D week (4th March – 8th March).

I'm busy writing the graphic novel, which means writing a separate script for each of the ten illustrators. One of the things I strive for, as a writer who writes for many different kinds and styles of artists, is to provide them with scripts that appeal to their natural inclinations, play to their strengths, and also push them a little out of their comfort zone.

Depending on the artist, and the story to be told, this can sometimes be quite easy to achieve, and at other times is far more difficult.

So I thought you might like to know which illustrators from TEAM HOAX are turning out to be script angels and who are the little script devils….

LEONARDO M. GIRON: ANGEL. Of the highest order.

MARK STAFFORD: ANGEL. I'm a little bit in love with writing for Mark.

RIAN HUGHES: ANGEL. Golden fun boy.

KARRIE FRANSMAN: DEVIL. Completely awkward bugger, to be honest.

ANDY HIXON: ANGEL. Never thought I'd see those three words in the same sentence.

IAN JONES: DEVIL. Because here I'm pushing more than just comfort zones...

BRYAN TALBOT: DEVIL. Very particular.

HANNAH BERRY: DEVIL. Downright mischievous.

JULIAN HANSHAW: ANGEL. Though he may think me a devil when he sees his script.

HOAX began with a poem, titled the same, written by my younger brother Rob. The poem was written in 2004, during the several-year long duration of Rob’s ultimately fatal mental illness, schizophrenia.

A highly artistic man, during this period Rob wrote hundreds upon hundreds of poems. Sometimes he would consult and collaborate with me, but there would never have been time for us to work on them all, such was his outpouring.

The poems were expressions of Rob’s varying state of mind – sometimes lucid, sometimes confused, always brilliant – and constitute a very honest portrayal of what it was like for him to suffer the illness in those years.

Now, years later, I'm here with these poems again. Looking through them, searching for those to include in the HOAX Psychosis Blues, the ones that will tell faithfully yet beautifully this poignant tale. It's so very sad, to read them again knowing what Iater happened: with their whispers and hints, their gentle screams. They fill me with regret. With anxious wishes that can never come true.

Rob committed suicide in May 2008, aged 31 years.

I didn't really set out to create a tribute to him with HOAX, I'm just so moved by his words that I'm compelled to work with them. I always knew that I would - it's just taken me awhile to reach a place in my head and heart where I could.